Method of laying a prefabricated roadway



April 25, 1957 v 1.. WESCH ETAL 3,315,578

METHOD OF LAYING A PREFABRICATED ROADWAY Filed Sept. 29, 1964 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I l -q 2 2 i Fig. 2 6 )6' g "I I! N All H null n M All ill) #vvewroes Lup w/a WE'SCl-l Mqerl/v USTEEMANN ATTORNEYS April 1967 WESCH ETAL METHOD OF LAYING A I REFA BRICATED ROADWAY Filed Sept. 29, 1964 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Lup w e Wescy MART/N 'GsrEeM/ N/v 3r mM/2W ATTORNEYS 10 to 20 mm. and more.

United States Patent 3,315,578 METHOD OF LAYING A PREFABRICATED ROADWAY Ludwig Wesch, Glucksburg-Ostsee, and Martin Ostermann, Hamburg-Hochkamp, Germany, assignors to Albert, Jean, Pierre CALS, Paris, France Filed Sept. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 400,100 1 Claim. (Cl. 94-22) The present invention relates to a prefabricated unit for the rapid assembly of reinforced surfaces, such as for roadways, airport runways, warehouse floors and so on, consisting of supporting beams for the application of covering plates thereon spaced from each other in parallel relation.

A method for the rapid production of road-ways utilising a system of supporting beams, is already known. The girders crossing over the roads are secured on both sides :of the road in side walls. The joists have in this case been spaced at to 100 cm. preferably 20 cm. It has also been proposed to cover said supporting beamframing, which consists mainly of concrete supporting beams, with resin fibre panels or similar plastic panels, the surface of which is provided with an artificial concrete layer.

The resin fibre panels of the prior art described above are glued to the beams. By the great flexible compliance of the resin fibre panels, it has been shown, that to lay the beams at distances, is very disadvantageous since the resin fibre panels are easily bent with changes of load at points, and the glue area is extremely strained particularly on the edge of the beam. In time, a delamination of the resin fibre panel and a paring of the underlayer occurs. It would :be possible to remove this disadvantage by considerably thickening the resin fibre panels, which for normal street trafiEic would have to be However, it is not possible, even with panels with an increased thickness, to lay the joists spaced by more than 30 cm. It would be found, that the disadvantages of the hitherto known resin fibre panels are removed, if said latter are provided with a profiled reinforcement.

According to the invention, a prefabricated unit for the rapid construction of reinforced surfaces, such as roadways, airport runways, warehouse floors or the like, consists of supporting beams for the application of cover panels parallel spaced thereon, characterised in that the cover panels consist of at least one glass fibre reinforced plastic layer and an artificial concrete layer, and that additional strengthening beams, arranged transversely to the direction of the supporting beams between said latter and the cover panels, and preferably having an inversely hatshaped cross-section are provided, grooves being arranged at intervals on the upper side of the supporting beam to receive said strengthening beams.

The strengthening beams may consist of glass fibre reinforced plastic materials, preferably polyester or epoxy resins or butadiene mixed polymer resins. If desired, the strengthening beams may alternatively be made from aluminum or steel.

The strengthening beams and the panels may be formed separately for use in the prefabricated units; however, the strengthening beams are advantageously rigidly connected to the cover panels by means of gluing and/ or rivetting. This makes it possible to save one part of the construction on the site.

According to a preferred feature of the invention sections of pipe of appropriate length may be located in the inversely hat-sectioned strengthening beams, for the insertion of cables or supply conduits. This makes it possible to produce the necessary supply condits simulta- 3,3 15 ,5 78 Patented Apr. 25, l 967 expense, during the laying of the prefabricated units. Also heaters or reinforcing means for cables, tubes or electric heaters, for example heating coils or heating wires, maybe applied to the strengthening beams, which heaters may be subsequently constructed, if the strengthening beams are provided separately from the covering panels. The strengthening beams may be made of plastic material for insulating against damp or heat.

An incomplete prefabricated unit according to the invention, consisting only of covering panels and the hatsectioned strengthening beams, cantbe used advantageously for the rapid construction of roadways or the like on a sandy or clay-type sub-soil. A method for the rapid construction of roadways or the like on sandy or clay-type subsoil with the use of an incomplete prefabricated unit of this type may comprise forming grooves corresponding to the strengthening beams in the subsoil, the strengthening beams connected previously with the covering panels being laid in said grooves, the subsoil being advantageously strengthened by means of an artificial resin, the covering panels and strengthening beams being laid before the artificial resin hardens.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which show one embodiment thereof :by way of example, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view of a covering ly hat-shaped strengthening beams viewed along the axis of said beams,

FIGURE 2 is a corresponding view of a support beam with grooves for the insertion of the strengthening beams shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a view of the supporting beam of FIG- URE 2 as viewed from above,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a section of a laid surface made up of ready-made parts according to the invention with the cover partially broken away, and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, exploded, perspective view, partly in section, showing a method for laying loadbearing, prefabricated assemblies on grooved, resin soaked soil.

Referring to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a cover panel 1 consisting of a glass fibre reinforced layer 2 and an artificial concrete layer 3 located thereon.

Strengthening beams 4 are arranged beneath the cover panels, the section of said beams preferably being inversely hat-shaped, as shown. One or more strengthening beams 4 of this type may be provided each according to requirements of use. These beams are made preferably from glass fibre reinforced plastics material, but other suitable materials are aluminum and steel.

FIGURE 2 shows a supporting beam 5 in a view corresponding to that of FIGURE 1. These supporting beams can for example be made of concrete. In the upper surface of the beam 5, grooves 6 are provided, which are formed to correspond to the section of the strengthening beams 4 and which are arranged at corresponding intervals from each other.

FIGURE 3 shows the same supporting beam 5 seen from above.

The strengthening beams 4 may be provided as separate parts of the ready-made unit, i.e. separated from the cover panels; however, in certain cases, it is preferred to fasten the beams 4 and the cover panels together in the factory, since this simplifies the assembly at the site.

The connection of the strengthening beams 4 with the cover panels 1 as well as the connection of both the strengthening beams and the cover panels 1 with the supporting beams 5, may be efiected by gluing.

neously without additional panel with inversetherebeneath, as

3 FIGURE 4 shows diagrammatically, in a perspective construction, 'a section of a reinforced surface constructed a from prefabricated units according to the invention.

of the strengthening beams per metre of the panel width,

upon the moment of resistance of the cross-section profile and upon the bending strength of said strenghening beams. V 1 e V 4 The side supports for the supporting beams are shown As materials for the strengthening beams 4, glass fibre reinforced plastics materials are preferred; however, iron Q to correspond to the groove spacing beams.

i be provided with fitting-means pipes are projected beyond the cover together with the strengthening beam, ready on V are slid'over, whereby thetube within the strengthening beam does notjtake part inthis movement of the covering a i a panel, so that after the coverpanel has been'slid along,

.- the tube; projects beyond the other end of the strengthening beam, and'corisequently is ready again'for producing "and steel, as well as aluminium are also suitable. Strengthening beams 4 are variable sectional construction and/ or variable material may be used over the breadth of the must be constructed of the supporting Within the inversely hat-shaped strengthening beams, pipes, heating elements, cables or also strengthenbeam 5, the section of which material 1 ing means may be located as necessary or desired.

' Pipes built into the prefabricated units may be proyided along the strengtheningbeams and may preferably known per se, sothat the the side. In practice, the

panels to be joined the fitting is placed the extended cover panel and then 'th'e panels fitting need only be effected at the next fitting, if the tube is extended out of the strengthening'beam sufliciently far'fromthe next cover panel to devices or i i a'm 'If the lstrengthening beams are supplied as separate parts of the .units, then pipe-lines, cable-line's heatingf the like may be installed in the strengthening coveriugtpan'el, or over the length of the supporting beams equipped with corresponding strengthening means, at'the site before'the cover panels are laid'on the beams,

5 rapid production of reinforced surfaces. It is sufficient to use cover panels 1 and strengthening beams 4, which are connected rigidly with the said latter, as construction units, grooves 12 corresponding to the profiles of the strengthening beams 4 being made in the ground before construction, and in which the prefabricated parts are laid. Advantageously the subsoil 14 may be strengthened,

by use of artificial resin with a basis of polyurethane or epoxy-polyamide resins and these resins may serve as adhesives if the prefabricated parts are laidbefore the resin hardens. The upper portion of the subsoil 14" is first soaked with an artificial resin, as shown at 16,,for reinforcement, and the cover panels 1 'arelaid onto said grooves with the strengtrening beams 4 disposed in the grooves 12 before said artificial resin hardens.

We'claim: 5 A method for laying a prefabricated assembly for the rapid construction of roadways and other load-bearing surfaces on a sandy or clay-type soil, comprising the steps of providing cover panels having transverse strengthening 7 7 .beams on the .undersurfaces thereof, forming grooves'in said soil corresponding to said beams, soaking said soil V with an artificial resin, laying said cover, panels onto said I soil with said beams being received in said grooves before said resin hardens, and allowing said resin 'to set.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATESOPVATENTS 2/1917 Lachman. .;'52-668 1,776,790 ;9/19s0 Harvey' 52-309 1,904,080 4/1933 "Plummer 52-488 2,228,763 1/1941 2 Henderson 94-2 2,293,431 8/1942' :Fr'ease 52488 2,945,328 7/1960 Webb 52 -669; 3,208,188 9/1965 ;Ft11t n- 52-7133 a v FOREIGN, PATENTS 128,143 2 6/19 18 Australia; 7 708,615 5/1954 [Great Britain.

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